The Genuine Mystery Behind How Hershey's Kisses Got Their Name

Is there any candy cuter than a Hershey's Kiss gifted by your sweetheart? These conical, dewdrop-shaped chocolates are undoubtedly part of the Valentine's candy pantheon, along with conversation hearts and heart-shaped chocolate boxes, though their appeal isn't limited to special occasions. Nowadays, we can spot the distinctive chocolates in their foil wrapping or in a peanut butter blossom cookie and instantly think of smooching, but that wasn't always the case.

Think about it: There's nothing particularly reminiscent of kissing or puckered lips in their design, yet the name still seems oddly fitting. So how, exactly, did this branding come to be? According to the Hershey Company's official statement on the Hersheyland FAQ page, no one exactly knows for sure, but there are a few likely possibilities. One popular theory is that the machine that produces the chocolates makes a "kissing" sound as the nozzle drops the chocolate onto the conveyor belt. Another possible answer lies in the fact that the term "kiss" was common parlance for a small, bite-size piece of candy. Before Hershey started manufacturing its chocolate Kisses in 1907, there were already candy brands using the term, including Miller's Violet Kisses and Blue Bell Kisses. The Hershey Company simply had the foresight to trademark the term for its small chocolate candy.

Bell-shaped morsels of chocolate have become such a central part of the Hershey Chocolate brand that they appear in some versions of the company logo and in numerous theme park attractions, but surprisingly, it wasn't the first company to make such a confection. Wilbur's Chocolate, another Pennsylvania-based company, actually created the original "Kiss"-style candies more than a decade before Hershey made Kisses, though the Wilbur version is called "Buds." Combined with the knowledge that "kiss" was already a common term for small candies before Hershey came along, you might wonder how Hershey's rose to the top of the pack.

The Hershey Company began manufacturing Hershey's Kisses in 1907, but it wasn't until 1921 that Milton Hershey trademarked the name. Roughly that same year, the company switched from hand-wrapping the chocolates to a machine that could wrap them automatically, and added the iconic paper plume protruding from the top of each candy to distinguish its candies from the competition's. The wrapping design proved to be so integral to brand recognition that the company went ahead and registered it for trademark protection, as well.

As Hershey grew to become one of the world's top chocolate companies, the Kisses became one of its most recognizable and culturally prominent products, along with its iconic Milk Chocolate Bar and later additions like Reese's Cups. Hershey, Pennsylvania, even has Kiss-shaped streetlights and an attraction called the Kissing Tower, complete with panoramic views through candy-shaped windows.